Thing 19: Communicating

Thanks to Google Hangouts and the Facebook Messenger app, I have been able to (sort of) keep tabs on my son, who is in Taipei for the summer. I was forced to learn how to use Google Hangouts when he told me that he prefers that to Skype for communicating. I found it to be very easy to learn, and it still blows my mind that I can talk to someone who is on the other side of the world so easily! And just this morning, he called me on my cellphone via the Facebook Messenger app, because apparently it is free, while a standard phone call costs money. And the reception was even more clear than a regular phone call.

I have the Snapchat app on my phone, but haven't used it. I don't think any of my friends use Snapchat, and I'm also not a big "picture sharer". I do share photos with my mom via text message, and sometimes send random photos of my pets to my sister, but not much beyond that.

Thing 14: Hoosier Helpers

VisitHC: What a wonderful app to know about! Since the Children's Reference Desk is often a new patron's first stop in our library, I will definitely keep this app in mind to recommend for more information about our community. The categories are laid out nicely with beautiful photographs, and there is a very full list of venues, parks, etc. For example, the "Eat" category alone has 18 sub-categories! A patron with a gluten-free diet is in luck - there is a HUGE list of restaurants they can visit. I am also very impressed that there is a "Locally Owned" category. In the "Explore" tab, I have found another huge list of places I want to check out in "Nature and Outdoors". I wonder if our new director knows about this app? (Not that she is going to have a ton of time to explore Hamilton County!)

Indiana DNR: This app also has beautiful graphics, and is a lot more fun to use than the clunky IN.gov website. My husband and son love to fish, and I will show them all of the fishing opportunities that are out there!

Thing 13: Education

I had heard of Khan Academy before because the math classes were recommended to me when my kids were in elementary school. But today I downloaded the app, and am completely impressed! My son saw me playing around with it, and mentioned that he has gone through much of their math content. He is sort of a math snob, and said that among his "math nerd" friends at CHS, Khan Academy has a really good reputation.

The category "Partner Content" caught my curiosity. Within this group there are many sub-categories, but I chose the one called "All-Star Orchestra" because my kids have both been involved in orchestra. Within that topic, I clicked on "Masterpieces Old and New", and finally I viewed the entire 10 minute video clip of "Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5, analysis by Gerard Schwarz. It was actually fascinating, hearing some great background information about that one very familiar orchestra piece.

One other interesting thing I noticed that under "Test Prep," there are practice tests for both the current SAT and the new SAT, which will start March 2016.

I can see that there is a LOT more in this app that I want to explore. NASA? Stanford School of Medicine? I am going to be super smart by the time I'm finished!

Thing 12: Hobbies

Craftsy: I set up a Craftsy account about a year ago, when I actually bought an online class on how to knit an intricate cableknit sweater. (I think I used a groupon to buy it?) Needless to say, I never completed the class. I just haven't had the time. But I did complete the first couple of sessions, and found the site and videos to be very user-friendly. Now that I have downloaded the app onto my phone and signed in, I see that my class is still there, waiting for me to complete it. I know Craftsy offers plenty of free classes too, so I do think I will use it more often, now that it is on my phone.

Epicurious: This is my first time to try this app. Up until now, the only time I have used my phone to access recipes is when I go to Allrecipes.com, because that is where I find a lot of recipes that I like. The Epicurious app seems a lot more streamlined, and I like that I can see which recipes have been most popular with other users by seeing the ratings on the first screen. For example, I did a search on French Onion Soup, and was given 103 recipes. It was very easy to swipe from one recipe to the next, and I quickly found one that received over 134 user reviews, with 91% of respondents saying they would make this recipe again. I also like the clear and simple browsable categories, and then my favorite categories: "I cook like a pro" and "I can barely cook". Something for everyone!

RetailMeNot: I am using my phone more and more often to access coupons, mostly from emails that various stores and restaurants send to me. I downloaded RetailMeNot, and clicked on the "Nearby" icon to see what deals are close by. When playing around with the app, I found a LOT of deals that were online only, and I don't do a lot of online shopping except through Amazon. But I see that listed as one of the retailers too.

Thing #11: Audio and Music

I have had the Pandora app on my phone for a couple of years now, and use it mostly at home because I've heard that it uses a lot of data and/or battery if I listen to it on the go. At home, I cast it to my TV speakers, and have set up several stations that I really enjoy, such as Bruno Mars, Bruce Springsteen, etc. It is kind of genius, as it is really good at "choosing" music that it thinks I will like! And if it comes to a song that I don't like, I can click the "thumbs down" button on my phone, and it instantly takes me to a different song. (Plus, it records the fact that I don't like the song it was playing.) Of course I am too cheap to pay for a subscription, so I have to listen to ads from time to time. I can live with that.

And for this Thing, I also signed up for a Spotify account and downloaded the app. The first question that came to mind is, "What are the pros and cons for Pandora vs. Spotify?" And of course, Katherine H. provided us with the article comparing the two. It seems that Spotify is a lot more limited unless you pay for the subscription - I'm not sure I would be happy with just listening to everything in Shuffle mode. If I don't like the song that is currently playing, I just have to live with it. (As my teenage son would say, "First World Problems, Mom.") One sentence in the Pandora vs. Spotify article caught my eye: "One killer feature of Spotify Premium is the ability to listen to songs offline."Maybe I could justify paying for a Spotify subscription? I do have some Amazon gift cards to use...

2 Hours Later...
Wait! I do not have to suffer through a song I do not like on Spotify. I quickly figured out that I can click on the little "fast forward" button next to the Play button, and it skips on to the next song. AND, I found that one of the playlists I can select is "Decades" - there is a category for the 70's and for the 80's. That's all I need!

Thing 10 - Augmented Reality

I had never heard of Augmented Reality before exploring this Thing, so I have definitely learned something new! I started by downloading and trying out Aurasma. It took several tries before I was able to create my own Aura. I am more of a "trial and error" kind of person when it comes to these apps - I am too impatient to read a lot of instructions. I found that this is not a "trial and error" kind of app. I also tried out the to the classroom projects posted by Theresa McGee, and can kind of see how Aurasma could be used in the classroom, but it just doesn't seem very intuitive.

Then I explored Layar, and will definitely keep this app on my phone. I used it to read a QR code in Whole Foods to access their coupons and calendar of events. One question I still can't find the answer to is whether or not you have to scan an actual Layar logo to access data. In the article "Why Layar is the Coolest iPhone App in the World", the author makes it seem like you can scan the buildings in front of you to access information, and that the app uses GPS data to show what is nearby. This is something I will try when I am in San Francisco in September.

So in summary, Layar is a keeper, Aurasma is not for me.

Thing 9: Video

This "Thing" has taken me way too long because I could not figure out how to access the Animoto video I had already created! Thanks to Katherine H, I am now able to link my project to this blog. Full disclosure: I did not use my mobile device to create the video; I used my desktop computer. But this is worth watching - I am super proud of it. :)

Also, I have been using the YouTube app on my phone for a long time now. When I am working on a knitting project and get stuck because I don't know how to do a particular stitch, YouTube is my go-to app. I even have my favorite "knitting help people" highlighted, so there is no more stress in trying to figure things out. There are literally thousands of video clips out there on YouTube for all things craft-related.

Animoto Video:
My Fabulous Video